I've been lazy of late. Watching shitty, easy to digest movies that aren't any good. Which leaves me with less interest in film, and consequently MORE likely to watch shitty, easy to digest movies that aren't any good. One of them vicious circle dealies.

So I went on a complete purging of my Netflix queue. I got rid of all the movies I added there like 2 years ago that I knew I didn't actually want to see, all the movies that I added because they were 90 minutes and looked consumable, and was left with like 5 films. So I need your guidance, my movie-watching brethren. Lead me back on the path to cinematic joy and enlightenment. I need recommendations. Great films, good films, flawed-but-fascinating films: all are welcome.

Please help!

_________________I'm lithe and fierce as a tiger

Sun Aug 28, 2011 2:37 pm

Syd Henderson

Director

Joined: Tue Jun 30, 2009 1:35 amPosts: 1805

Re: Need help filling my queue--suggestions please!

Instant queue of mail queue?It's time for the F W Murnau film festivsl!

_________________Evil does not wear a bonnet!--Mr. Tinkles

Sun Aug 28, 2011 3:07 pm

JamesKunz

Critic

Joined: Wed Jul 29, 2009 9:35 amPosts: 6010Location: Easton, MD

Re: Need help filling my queue--suggestions please!

Syd Henderson wrote:

Instant queue of mail queue?It's time for the F W Murnau film festivsl!

Mail queue or instant queue: it's all good to me.

_________________I'm lithe and fierce as a tiger

Sun Aug 28, 2011 3:27 pm

Evenflow8112

Re: Need help filling my queue--suggestions please!

Here's a few I think you would really enjoy:

The Road

Salo

Night and Fog

Flubber (the original - I'm not silly)

King Kong (2005)

Johnny Get Your Gun (stage version)

I said Salo, right?

And Georgia Rules. Because I've been there before, and it so does.

Sun Aug 28, 2011 4:18 pm

Bondurant

Re: Need help filling my queue--suggestions please!

TMNT II: Secret of the Ooze.

Sun Aug 28, 2011 4:23 pm

thered47

Re: Need help filling my queue--suggestions please!

Having just seen Nolan's Insomnia, I would recommend that.

20 Centimeters

Sebastiane

44 Inch Chest

The Detective with Frank Sinatra

The Dying Gaul

Entertaining Mr. Sloane

The Watermelon Woman-Jeremy

Sun Aug 28, 2011 4:59 pm

Evenflow8112

Re: Need help filling my queue--suggestions please!

thered47 wrote:

The Dying Gaul

-Jeremy

Kill me now. I'd call that a good one to avoid, and it's not just because Mr. Sarsgaard is among the most bland actors around.

Sun Aug 28, 2011 5:05 pm

Vexer

Re: Need help filling my queue--suggestions please!

The SiegeThe Hard WayKill The IrishmanWay Of The GunThe Crew(2000)The Deep End

Also, i'll second Evenflow's recommendation of Georgia Rule.

Sun Aug 28, 2011 5:11 pm

Shade

Re: Need help filling my queue--suggestions please!

Jimmy, you've steered me well in the past and I hope I can do the same for you. Some thoughts:

Memories of Murder. Labeled the South Korean Zodiac by some. That's not completely unfair, but it's certainly not simply a knock-off. It's rather mesmerizing, and gorgeously shot and beautifully acted. It resonates in a neat way. I recommend it very highly.

Have you seen Killer of Sheep yet? It's an all-time fave, and simply works for me. It doesn't for everyone. It's undeniably wonderful to look at (seriously, you could hang just about any frame of it on your wall), and it's the sort of film that isn't about the acting or plot as much as feel and tone. It moves me; it might not move you but it will make you feel something. Maybe boredom, but hey.

Of course Sansho the Bailiff. I'm generally not a fan of Japanese stuff, but this is near the top of all films. See it and love it.

Nicolas Winding Refn's Pusher trilogy is the raw work of a young genius. They play in the docu-style way of stuff like 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days (which you must see NOW if you haven't). If you choose to go with them I highly recommend getting the first two at the same time; it's likely you'll want to watch them back to back (not because of a cliffhanger ending or anything, it just seems likely). Plus, Mads Mikkelson.

The Secret in Their Eyes won the foreign-language Oscar a couple years ago and actually deserved it. A truly adult thriller with a wonderfully played romance and some genuine intrigue. A great film.

Finally, I'm not a huge sci-fi fan, but the other day I watched The Quiet Earth, from 1985, and it really worked for me. At worst it plays like a particularly good episode of The Twilight Zone, but I think it's a bit more than that. It's compact and ambiguous and pretty good looking for a low-budget 1985 flick. Not an all-time favorite for me, but if you're looking for something in that vein you could do much worse.

I realize none of these are way off the beaten path, but they're all good and worthwhile if you haven't seen them.

Sun Aug 28, 2011 5:35 pm

JamesKunz

Critic

Joined: Wed Jul 29, 2009 9:35 amPosts: 6010Location: Easton, MD

Re: Need help filling my queue--suggestions please!

Shade wrote:

Jimmy, you've steered me well in the past and I hope I can do the same for you. Some thoughts:

Memories of Murder. Labeled the South Korean Zodiac by some. That's not completely unfair, but it's certainly not simply a knock-off. It's rather mesmerizing, and gorgeously shot and beautifully acted. It resonates in a neat way. I recommend it very highly.

Have you seen Killer of Sheep yet? It's an all-time fave, and simply works for me. It doesn't for everyone. It's undeniably wonderful to look at (seriously, you could hang just about any frame of it on your wall), and it's the sort of film that isn't about the acting or plot as much as feel and tone. It moves me; it might not move you but it will make you feel something. Maybe boredom, but hey.

Of course Sansho the Bailiff. I'm generally not a fan of Japanese stuff, but this is near the top of all films. See it and love it.

Nicolas Winding Refn's Pusher trilogy is the raw work of a young genius. They play in the docu-style way of stuff like 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days (which you must see NOW if you haven't). If you choose to go with them I highly recommend getting the first two at the same time; it's likely you'll want to watch them back to back (not because of a cliffhanger ending or anything, it just seems likely). Plus, Mads Mikkelson.

The Secret in Their Eyes won the foreign-language Oscar a couple years ago and actually deserved it. A truly adult thriller with a wonderfully played romance and some genuine intrigue. A great film.

Finally, I'm not a huge sci-fi fan, but the other day I watched The Quiet Earth, from 1985, and it really worked for me. At worst it plays like a particularly good episode of The Twilight Zone, but I think it's a bit more than that. It's compact and ambiguous and pretty good looking for a low-budget 1985 flick. Not an all-time favorite for me, but if you're looking for something in that vein you could do much worse.

I realize none of these are way off the beaten path, but they're all good and worthwhile if you haven't seen them.

I have seen The Quiet Earth and liked it, but other than that all your recommendations are (quite nicely, really) things I haven't seen so I shall add them to the old Q. Thanks Shade!

_________________I'm lithe and fierce as a tiger

Sun Aug 28, 2011 7:06 pm

JamesKunz

Critic

Joined: Wed Jul 29, 2009 9:35 amPosts: 6010Location: Easton, MD

Re: Need help filling my queue--suggestions please!

Vexer wrote:

The SiegeThe Hard WayKill The IrishmanWay Of The GunThe Crew(2000)The Deep End

Also, i'll second Evenflow's recommendation of Georgia Rule.

The Siege looks interesting. It's added. Of the ones you recommend, I've only seen The Way of the Gun and The Deep End. Can't believe you saw the latter. Doesn't seem like your type.

_________________I'm lithe and fierce as a tiger

Sun Aug 28, 2011 7:10 pm

JamesKunz

Critic

Joined: Wed Jul 29, 2009 9:35 amPosts: 6010Location: Easton, MD

Re: Need help filling my queue--suggestions please!

Evenflow8112 wrote:

Here's a few I think you would really enjoy:

The Road

Salo

Night and Fog

Flubber (the original - I'm not silly)

King Kong (2005)

Johnny Get Your Gun (stage version)

I said Salo, right?

And Georgia Rules. Because I've been there before, and it so does.

Come on, man, give me some actual picks

_________________I'm lithe and fierce as a tiger

Sun Aug 28, 2011 7:10 pm

JamesKunz

Critic

Joined: Wed Jul 29, 2009 9:35 amPosts: 6010Location: Easton, MD

Re: Need help filling my queue--suggestions please!

thered47 wrote:

Having just seen Nolan's Insomnia, I would recommend that.

20 Centimeters

Sebastiane

44 Inch Chest

The Detective with Frank Sinatra

The Dying Gaul

Entertaining Mr. Sloane

The Watermelon Woman-Jeremy

The Dying Gaul = added. I actually rather like Sarsgaard

_________________I'm lithe and fierce as a tiger

Sun Aug 28, 2011 7:11 pm

MGamesCook

Re: Need help filling my queue--suggestions please!

ANTHONY MANN!!!!!

Sun Aug 28, 2011 7:14 pm

JamesKunz

Critic

Joined: Wed Jul 29, 2009 9:35 amPosts: 6010Location: Easton, MD

Re: Need help filling my queue--suggestions please!

MGamesCook wrote:

ANTHONY MANN!!!!!

All I've seen is Winchester '73, but I'm intrigued. Where do I start?

_________________I'm lithe and fierce as a tiger

Sun Aug 28, 2011 7:15 pm

Vexer

Re: Need help filling my queue--suggestions please!

JamesKunz wrote:

Vexer wrote:

The SiegeThe Hard WayKill The IrishmanWay Of The GunThe Crew(2000)The Deep End

Also, i'll second Evenflow's recommendation of Georgia Rule.

The Siege looks interesting. It's added. Of the ones you recommend, I've only seen The Way of the Gun and The Deep End. Can't believe you saw the latter. Doesn't seem like your type.

Yeah, I forget exactly why I saw that film to begin with, but it turned out to be a very pleasant surprised.

Sun Aug 28, 2011 7:59 pm

MGamesCook

Re: Need help filling my queue--suggestions please!

JamesKunz wrote:

MGamesCook wrote:

ANTHONY MANN!!!!!

All I've seen is Winchester '73, but I'm intrigued. Where do I start?

I could talk about these movies ad infinitum if I got into details, but here's the general picture:

MUST SEE: T-Men, The Black Book, Winchester, Bend of the River, The Far Country, The Man from Laramie, The Last Frontier, Men in War, God's Little Acre, Man of the West, El Cid.

VERY GOOD: Raw Deal, Devil's Doorway, The Tall Target, Thunder Bay, The Naked Spur, The Tin Star. (Shit, I think only one of these is available on Netflix anyway)

FANS ONLY: Desperate, Railroaded, Border Incident, Cimarron, The Fall of the Roman Empire, The Heroes of Telemark (taste for these is best acquired after you've seen some of the others; on their own, they would appear solid, but flawed, and those first two are before he really found his footing).

Sun Aug 28, 2011 10:55 pm

calvero

Director

Joined: Wed Mar 04, 2009 7:44 pmPosts: 1388

Re: Need help filling my queue--suggestions please!

Quote:

All I've seen is Winchester '73, but I'm intrigued. Where do I start?

try Man From Laramie, another Stewart-Mann film. some shades of King Lear, with some rather rather shocking violence for the time. great cast, lots of familar character actors. and great use of Cinemascope.

all the Stewart Mann westerns are woth seeing(there are 5)

Mon Aug 29, 2011 4:06 pm

Evenflow8112

Re: Need help filling my queue--suggestions please!

About to travel interstate, here's one for the road:

Akai Tenshi aka Red Angel (1966)

The blackest of World War II dramas, this is harsh, unapologetic stuff that begins in moral grey and then plunges into red dramatic intensity and apocalyptic Guignol. This film is so powerful, so unforgiving, so passionate and, ironically, deeply sexual and sensual, you won't be able to tear your eyes away from the screen. Even among post-WWII anti-war company such as 'Paths of Glory' and 'Fires on the Plain', this film's eerie grace and surrealistic moral terror elevate the war film to a new, deeply resonant plateau.

Mon Aug 29, 2011 5:29 pm

Ken

Re: Need help filling my queue--suggestions please!

All the WWII/Holocaust talk prompts me to ask, have you seen Adam Resurrected?

Jeff Goldblum, Willem Dafoe, Paul Schrader. As Doc Brown might say, with those three names on the marquee, you're going to see some serious shit.

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